Yeeeessssss, quit interesting how Mr. Bachmann takes the time and added expense to include the pair of 3 prong DC plugs for alterations from something us mear illiterate peasants can't understand...... could it be that 'some unknown force from beyond the universe' beckons us to remove the dcc chip? Or could it be that we the ignorant couldn't get the @#$%^&* thing to roll, then READ the directions that instructed us how to remove the chip and install the prongs..... interesting how people you meet face to face aren't so quick to be sarcastic as those on a thread..... George's locomotive now moves, it just doesn't light up.... someone gonna help him or what?

Thanx, but I clicked on it, no go, tried to type it-photoswest? into 'go to'- no go again. I'll feed it into search later.......... Well Bob, if you feel guilty, wash the blackboards and grab a broom. Then, when you're done, go to Denver and help the librarian till closing time... IF you can dig yourself to pavement before the last day of school....

Si comrade, los citidad kansas, oreinte y Mehico, intendar 'Presidente Aurtoro Stillwell' de KCS--btw, the 'modern' KCS 'the NAFTA mainline' now goes to the Pacific coast in southern Mexico, a hundreds years later, but better late than never.... I was a vocational teacher once too, some of the people on this site brings back baaad memories.....lots of middle aged kids needing detention.....

Which book?? gulp. I am sorry comrade Elmore, I can not answer this question without the presence of my attorney... I think I may have accidently memorized a few already. YES! My O&W had pull outs in the back cover- a sleeve? A map and? a- not topo, but a contour? of the grades or something wasn't it? I guess we aren't on the same wavelength as most of this thread. Sure when it comes to modern power, modeling ideas, dcc and such, a pdf, cdrom, websites by the hundred... but... for the steam age? sup wif dat? I was reading....on a website yeeeesss, that the KCS had the same steam power designs as the D&H, 'cause old Mr Lorree was on the board of both RR's..... so, I want to find a pic, or roster of KCS steam..... oh great shots of geeps and sd's and dash whatevers..... not even a B&W of the black train... before the digital age it seems.... so if no one scanned one yet, there you sit.... then! I bring up ABEBOOKS and ALIBRIS, and a roster of KCS books, for sale on line.... only one seemed a bit steep, full color I guess..... all for the price of a dcc chip...or less...lucky me.... btw, when I found the O&W museum on RT 17, it was closed that day.... a freind who lives in the area can spot where the some of the row was, but he is no authority... the Norwich fairgrounds is the old yard, biggest section I ever found....

Hummmm, seems a posting has disappeared, deleted for all time, the world is a beter place because of it. One good thing about forumites, they constantly remind me that quiting my teaching job was the right decision after all....... but I am ready to work on another winter scene, but not with joint compound, I want to keep an entire 12x24" section of buildings light enough to remove .... perhaps fluffy white kittens? 30 seconds with a dash of packing peanuts?.... well... I just painted the kitchen ceiling last month, maybe a bad idea huh?

Yaa noooooo, I somethimes think I am wasting electricity. "rustoleum" is a paint. A very durable, flat spread, glossy, nice....paint. The rustoleum people would love it if everyone repainted stuff as soon as it gets dirty. I will buy stock in the company wwhen that becomes trendy.... its lifespand outdoors is aproxx. 10-12 years properly applied. In doors, where MOST layouts are located.... I would estimate the 'wash-ability' to be....well, between the pyramid hyrogliphics and cave art.... but carry on, you're doing fine....

Oh! best be silent comrade Elmore... remember the 'readers' in Farenhiet 451? They had to live in abandoned Duetchse Bahn rolling stock... do you have your permit to possess and carry these books concealed? well until that is invesigated, there is a still the 500 mark fine for quoting heir Shakespeare.... it is spring, I shall thankfully revert to my other interests and obligations..... btw, the little O&W book is a good one huh? What a pathedic story, almost impossible to find even traces of the line anymore- anywhere. I've got my speeder parked on two short pieces of their rail from Hancock, and no, I do not have a permit to own used railway paraphanelia....

I didn't just realize this, had a hunch for a while now, but -not just newbies, everyone getting into this hobby since the WWW, doesn't own railroad books. My first RR book was about toys and models compare to prototyes since day one. I memorized it. the 'complete book on model RR'ing' from the mid 60's, ingrained. The moldy old hardbounds to people's desktop on their obsession, on and on, 2 walls full to the ceiling. And a book had to be researched, verified etc etc. before it hit the presses. The web doesn't seem to have one wall full of info unless it is in the digital age. The only stupid question is the one not asked... but, unless people buy BOOKS on a subject, they are slingin' something at a glass doorknob.... what sort of 'forumite' is going to respond to your need? A picture is worth a thousand words right? Only ones out there are semi lgally scanned or off a card from someone's last vacation, I come to the conclusion that most of the questions lately could have been answered by refering to books rather than the web, which always was, always will be 'garbage in- garbage out', AND have to trust in the person who developed the page? site?  whatever. If he is full of it, you are up the creek. Compare to the costs of most models, a book on the subject now and then isn't a bad investment. I wonder if someone with more computor skills than me could develop a 'help page' for people who could really use a 'good read'...... 

Buy it anyway. Every railroad has to have a crane, 'cause everyone has cars fall off the tracks. It makes a realistic little work train for an engine that can't pull many cars, and looks cool just sitting on a siding. GG will agree- right? I think the knobs are best to just lower the boom onto the flat car, or raise it up for a scene making it look like it is at work.

Before we go into living objects in the mirowave jokes... a serious point needs to be addressed before plugging in anymore kitchen utencils, is this snow scene going to be permanent? If so, joint compound, up to the rails if needed, contoured to the setting, roads, paths, melted spots like around ashpits, car washers, etc. I put a coat of gloss white rustoleum on it, and comes clean and bright with a wet sponge. Just spend as much time as you need keeping the railhead and flangeways clean, as for a roof or other places that need a dusting, Sparkyjay's idea is atleast reversable.... no one says you can't change you mind and put a coat of flat black or other earth tones over the gloss white in future.... semi permanent, but not 'set in stone'.... I'll tell ya, the white sure highlights the dark of most steamers and rolling stock... blender or not, a lump 1mm around is still 4 inche HO, a bit too lumpy for most climates...

Wow. Look at the size of those domes, is Yamba Bob taking notes? I bet that is a UK import, can anyone focus in on the #? I can't imagine how they ever opperated 'without' this style turntable. 10 feet of snow falls in a hole 5 feet deep...now what? Shovel?

Hello Harold- I signed your guest book a while ago, your site is loaded with good stuff, I thought I was the only HOer left alive modeling the Victorian age, searched the web for survivors, and found you! So many people- forumites- don't have the gumption to kitbash the way you and I do.... I tried some of your boiler swaps, good results!  Mr Rich, and others I guess... Altho it isn't included anymore, this basic mdc design was suppose to be dress up with the sprew of little parts, so detailing just got harder, and more expensive... AND my guess, is that the fireman's side window was usually hinged, so he could walk out to the running boards, the engineers side wasn't opening big enough to crawl out of, so the pump sat on that side, out of the way. Seems that just didn't matter after 1900 or so....AND again, the mdc boiler was one of those long straight Baldwin jobs rather than the tapered- wagon tops, which only came into the cab a couple feet at most, the Baldwins at that time went to the end of the frame, the fireman stood on the tender platform, and like the engineer,closed a little door behind him as he sat down in the cab. Nice for the engineer- in bad weather. IMHO, I think that is one reason Baldwins weren't popular in New England at that time, almost a camelback...

OK, that's enough of this, you guys go back and work on your trains, or you'll all stay after school....

Gene, don't worry, lots of roundhouses were butted up against steep hills, CV in New London AND White River Jct. come to mind. I wouldn't sweat about two buildings either, I've learned not to come unprepared for this class, but I just can't find pics of the RH's I've seen that were just additions to additions, I would think like city buildings, an archetect or some code would decide if there was an alley, firebreak or a shared wall with an older building.. And you say this RH is about 5-6 feet from the visitors? You can leave it till later, much later... unless they bring field glasses. Gosh, I can't see details I know are there when 3 feet away, I get a good look when there's a wreck and I have to lurch right in the scene.... as for Yamba, RIP is just short for 'repair in place', inotherwords, it doesn't have to limp back to a proper car shop, just dropped off at a hard surfaced later 'paved' area around a section of track so the repairmen could jack up, crawl under and otherwise get the car going again. For the sake of time, it would be a loop siding rather than a spur, so the train crew didn't have to kill even more time switching it around. And as it was ready to go, a couple guys with an 'armstrong locomotive' would move cars in and out of the operating room. Yes, a small machine shop building and sheds, and tons of parts, extra wheelsets, trucks, bearing dodads, brake and coupler stuff, cars that were really wrecked had to get carried to the shops, or the wooden ones, emptied, burnt, and the metal bits used again as spare parts. There was a big wreck on the Rutland in my mom's hometown, in the depession. People had kindling for years afterwards. Years ago, I would say a long road would have a rip track every 40 or 50 miles or so, that way a cripple didn't have to endure more than 20-25 miles of 'risk'. And dead slow at that. For a really cool rip track, I have the 'slim rails thru the sand' a hardbound, but look for the SP narrow guage - Laws or Bishop, Cal? Everything, all the tools, were just layed out on this paved area. Hey. No rain for 200 miles, no thieves for 200 miles..... but the oxy acetelene cylinders just sittin' there in the Death Valley sun.... no OSHA back then...     

Easy in metric. Less typing too. 3 & 1/2 millimeters to one HO foot. Your sidewalk is 10.5 mm's wide.